Hong Kong is an international tourist city that tourists aspire to, "said many guests at the 2025" Hong Kong Tourism Development Forum "jointly organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and China Tourism Group. At the event, over 600 industry professionals shared their views on new directions and trends for the future development of Hong Kong's tourism industry, contributing to its high-quality growth. Looking back at Hong Kong's tourism industry in recent years, it has been affected by intensified competition in the global tourism industry, increasingly diversified tourist demands, and competitive pressures from surrounding regions. After experiencing ups and downs and changes, it is gradually exploring new paths for the transformation of the cultural and tourism industry, and moving towards the goal of creating a "world-class preferred tourism destination". In the face of development opportunities and challenges, Hong Kong focuses on long-term and proactive planning to adapt to changes. Starting from 2023, the SAR government will promote the event economy as an important measure to drive tourists to visit Hong Kong and boost local consumption. In March 2024, the Hong Kong Tourism Board established a special event expansion team to serve as the "first point of contact" for event organizers, searching for different events to be held in Hong Kong. From the chronology of major events released by the SAR government, it can be seen that these events cover not only the cultural and artistic industries, but also the financial and trade industries. Hong Kong's event economy has delivered impressive results: in 2024, there were over 240 event events in Hong Kong, attracting over 2 million visitors and generating approximately HKD 7.5 billion in consumption and HKD 4.5 billion in economic value added. The Deputy Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Wong Wai Lun, estimates that there will be approximately 840000 visitors participating in the major events in the first half of 2025, a year-on-year increase of over 50%. It is expected to bring about a consumption of approximately HKD 3.3 billion and an economic added value of approximately HKD 1.8 billion to Hong Kong. At the end of last year, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government released the "Hong Kong Tourism Development Blueprint 2.0", which proposed four major development strategies and 133 measures, aiming to implement the goal of "tourism everywhere" and provide work direction and strategies for the development of Hong Kong's tourism industry in the next five years. The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Rosamund Law, pointed out at the event that the concept of "guiding transformation" advocated by Blueprint 2.0 is the key to meeting future challenges and seizing development opportunities. In addition, the implementation of the "one visa, multiple travel" policy, the expansion of "individual travel" cities, and the increase in tax-free baggage allowances and other central preferential policies have helped more tourists come to Hong Kong. According to data from the Hong Kong Tourism Board, there will be approximately 45 million visitors to Hong Kong in 2024. The number of visitors to Hong Kong in the first quarter of 2025 is about 12.2 million, a year-on-year increase of 9%, including about 9.25 million mainland tourists, a year-on-year increase of 6%. The creation of a new cultural and tourism IP in Hong Kong has sparked heated discussions. According to a recent statistical report released by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the entertainment consumption of overnight visitors from mainland China increased by 61.3% to HKD 4.19 billion last year, with exhibitions, TV shows, and concerts becoming a new trend for mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong. Tang Lan, Senior Vice President of Ctrip Group, analyzed that behind this phenomenon is a change in the consumption preferences of the main consumer groups, namely the "80s," "90s," and "00s," who pursue in-depth travel and personalized experiences. Lu Mengxi, the general manager of Meituan's cultural and tourism industry, described Hong Kong's tourism trend as gradually moving towards "lifestyle". Hong Kong's sunset car sightseeing buses, Mong Kok Goldfish Street, and other places with smoke and fire have become the top choices for mainland tourists to check-in in Hong Kong, "said Lu Mengxi. One tourist order will bring more than 7 pan tourism consumption services. Tang Lan said that the rich event activities provide opportunities for Hong Kong to create a "performing arts+sports+tourism" business model. The "concert+hotel" package has opened up a new model of cooperation in the industry. He gave an example to share: On the opening day of the concert held at Kai Tak Sports Park not long after, the platform saw a peak of 889000 people competing and over 5000 "hotel+ticket" packages sold out in one second. As a signature tourist attraction in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Disneyland will celebrate its 20th anniversary of opening this year. The CEO of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Mo Weiting, shared at the event that starting from June 28th, the series of activities celebrating the 20th anniversary of the opening officially began, spanning a whole year. The park is actively expanding its partnerships with partners around the world to jointly promote the development of Hong Kong's tourism industry, "he said. Moving towards the "heart" and starting from the "new", the dense international routes, suitable natural environment, and diverse cultures of Chinese and Western integration have enabled Hong Kong to continue to "break out" in the global market, with over 10 million non mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong in 2024. According to a survey by Euromonitor, Hong Kong ranks fourth among the top ten most popular cities among international travelers in the world in 2024. Chen Xianghong, Chairman of Dingdu Group and founder of Wuzhen Tourism, frankly stated that if considering overseas investment destinations, Hong Kong ranks among the top three. How to develop Hong Kong's tourism industry? Dai Bin, President of the China Tourism Research Institute, suggested that the industry should move towards the "heart" and start from the "new". While creating new tourism products and improving the service system, we cannot give up on adhering to hospitality and releasing equal goodwill, "he said. The Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Lam Kin yuen, stated that Hong Kong's infrastructure advantages make the "one trip, multiple stops" itinerary a reality. The Tourism Bureau will actively cooperate with other cities in the Greater Bay Area to attract more international tourists to experience different journeys in the Greater Bay Area. Hong Kong Legislative Council member Yao Bailiang proposed a new development direction for "five color tourism": blue, green, antique, night and red, corresponding to ocean, ecology, historical sites, sightseeing and red tourism respectively. Dai Bin said that maintaining the prosperity, stability, and development of Hong Kong's tourism industry is an important part of promoting the economic and social prosperity of Hong Kong under the framework of "One Country, Two Systems". Hong Kong industries need to strengthen cooperation and embrace global tourism development opportunities. (New Society)